Method for making building blocks



Dec. 4, 1951 s. H. SMITH ETAL METHOD FOR MAKING BUILDING BLOCKS 5 Sheets-Sheet Filed Dec. 2, 1948 '5]: Dis

INVENTOR :1 H5122 .mzzs

John L 1951 s. H. SMITH ET AL. 2,577,215

METHOD FOR MAKING BUILDING BLOCKS Filed D80. 2, 1948 3 Shee'ts-Sneet 2 40 55 INSULATION 1 IN V EN TOR.

ATTORNEYS Dec. 4, 1951 s. H. SMITH ETAL METHOD FOR MAKING BUILDING BLOCKS 3 Sheets-Sheet 5 Filed Dec. 2, 1948 @@m@@@@@@ @@@@@@@@m pggg g Mm m s 4 MK. Z 3 J ATTOHVEYS Patented Dec. 4, 1951 2,577,215 T iop FOR MAKING porpo se B-LooKs Stephen H. Smith and John Lewis Kronsis, canton, one

Appiication December 2, 194 8, Serialo; 6 3.1104

The invention relates tothe maufactureof buildingblocks, andmore particularly to a novel method for forming cement blocks in such'ma-nner that a wall built of the block's will closely resemble a masonry wall of natural stone of mingled sizes; shapesand colors.

Ari-object ofthe -invention is to provide for the-manufacture of cement blocks having outer s -riaees resembling; natural stone.

Another object is to provide for the manufacture 9i" such blocks in which false mortar joints areyformediinthe outer faces of the blooks'so e eive pearan e o se e a to e f fierentfsizeand shape.

' Still'another' objectofth'e'invention is to provide'formoloring' the outer surface of the block to resemble natural stone.

A'still further object is to provide a method of coloring. the outer surface oftherblockszby'means of which the colcrpenetrates to a considerable depth.

Another object is to provide for coloring the blocks by means of solutions of metal, salts,

The above and other objects, apparent from the drawings and following description, may be attained, the above described advantages and results obtained, by the method which comprises the present invention, a preferred embodiment of which, illustrative of the best mode in which applicants have contemplated applying the .principle, being set forth detail in the following description and illustrated in the accompanying drawings, in which:

Fi u is a r pe t ve i p b ldin block constructed in accordance with the inventi n h vin fa e ,mp a ints 'it uts f was to s mu na u a Stones o if rent si e and shape; a

Fig. 2. a similar view of a corner biock made in accordance with the invention;

Fig: 3 adetached perspective view-of the die plate forforming the outer surface of the-blocks shown in Figs 1 and 2;

Fig. 4 a detached perspective viewof the end die plate for forming the outer end surface of the corner block shown in Fig. 2;

Fig.1) atop plan view, on a somewhatlarger scale; showinga noldfor forming the improved cement building blocks;

Fig. 6" a- View similarto Fig; 5; showing the mold arranged for forming a corner block;

Fig. 7 a transverse, vertical section through-the mold, taken as on the line 1 -4. Fig. 5 shoWi-n a block formed.'- therein Fig: 8a view-similar to"-I"-ig; 7; showing the 4 Claims. (CL 18 4 150 platen of the mold-raised to movethe blocknp, out

of the mold; the slidable die plate being shownin raised position, fallen away from the outer surface of the block;

Fi'g. 9 a top-plan vie-w 'of'themechanism' used for coloring the blocks; and

Fig. 10 a longitudinal sectional view through the coloring mechanism; taken as on.the line Ii -1B; Fig.9;

Referring: first .to the blocks shown in Figs. 1

and 2, a stringer block isindicatedtgenerally at iSin' Fig. 1, and a'cornerblock-is indicated generally at IS in Fig. 2. With theexception of the enter faces H; o f'both of these blocks,-.and'the end face I8 of the corner block, these blocksmay of the same general shapeand construction;a's the conventionai cementzbuilding-blbcks; and may Se-8 x8} 16 inches as illustrated; and'provided with the usualvertical cored openings I9 for providing insulation air spaceswithinthe'waH and the corresponding"vertical grooves 20 in the end walls, or the blocks may be of solid construction 4 x 8'ii'1 6inohes, forbuil'di'ng veneer: stone Wa The vertical surface I!- of the blockmay be iormle'd'in a-variety of {designs to simulate natural stoneand may have variouscombinations of false mortar joints '21 therein so that the-outer ffaceofeach-block'has the appearance of several sati a 'st i s 9 eis d ap o ced d b im a i i ish ou u fa es f he la as We the end surface I ii. of the. corner block, are shaped to resemble rough hewn stone and these surfaces are c olore d by solutions of metallic salts, whichpenetrate a considerable depth into the blocks, 'variouscolors being preferably mingled andblended to give the same .a natural appearance v These building blocks are formedoia mixture of'hydraulic cement; sand and a very ffine aggregate, such for. instance. as pea gravel, the proportions, of cement, sand and gravel being preferably the customary 1-2-3 mixture, with very little'water added thereto so that the ingredients are merely dampened and not formed into a sl This mixture may be molded. into the im-. proved =-building blocks in anys oonvntional'icement block machine, with certain additionsand improvements to the. mold, as illustrated in. the drawings and hereinafter: described in" detail.

For this purposethexmold may= compri e the usualbox asshowmin Figs; 5V to 8," consistingof: the stationary 'bottomzwalljz; back wan .23- and 3 end walls 24. The usual cores 25 may be mounted upon the bottom wall 22 of the mold for forming the cored openings i9 in the blocks, as in usual and well known practice.

The usual platen or pallet 26 may be located in the bottom of the mold box, resting upon the heads 21 and 28 of the usual elevating rods 29, commonly provided for raising the formed block out of the mold as in usual practice.

For the purpose of the invention, a pair of special liner plates 30 are located within each end of the mold box, provided with the cores 3| for forming the vertical grooves 20 in the end walls of the stringer blocks l5, as shown in Fig. 1.

Each of these liner plates has a vertical groove 32, adjacent to its forward end, to slidably receive a die plate 33, which may have any desired configuration on its inner face to represent any desired combination of rough hewn stone faces 34, which may be of various size and shapes, divided by the ribs 35 to form the false mortar joints 2| in the outer faces of the block, separating the areas 36 of various size and shape to represent a plurality of stones separated by the false mortar joints.

The lower edge of the die plate 33 is provided with sockets 31, of larger diameter than the pins 38, mounted in the overhanging portions 39 of the heads 28, upon certain of the elevating rods 29. For the purpose of preventing the cement mixture from sticking to the face of the die plate 33, heating means is provided, in the form of a heating element 40, located across the front of the mold box adjacent to the back of the die plate 33 when the same is in lowered position as shown in the drawings.

This heating element is indicated generally and may be any suitable form of electric heating element to maintain the die plate at an elevated temperature, preferably from 500 to 750 F.

In the manufacture of building blocks in this apparatus the mold, with the die plate in lowered position, as shown in Figs. and '7, is filled with the cement mixture, which may be rammed therein, as in usual practice, to form the block in the mold as shown in Fig. 7.

The elevating rods 29 are then raised to the position shown in Fig. 8, raising the platen or pallet 26, with the formed block thereon, and raising the die plate 33 therewith, the die plate falling away from the front face of the block as it reaches the raised position shown in said figure.

The platen or pallet 26, with the formed block therein, may then be removed from the mold and placed in a kiln, maintained at a temperature of about 150 F. for a period of 12 or 15 hours, when the block is sufficiently cured and dried so that it may be handled easily without danger of damage.

Flor the purpose of forming corner blocks,

as shown in Fig. 2, one of the liner plates 30 may be removed from one end of the mold box and a liner plate 4!, as shown in Fig. 6, is placed in this end of the mold box, the liner plate 4| having a vertical groove 32a near its forward end, but as shown in Fig. 6 this liner plate is not provided with a core such as on the liner plates 30. 'The die plate 33 is slidably mounted in the grooves 32 and 32a of the liner plates 30 and 4| respectively, and an end die plate 42 is slidably located in the mold box resting upon the end portion of the pallet or platen 26a.

The corner block l6 may be formed in this mold in the manner above described and when the block is raised from the mold both of the die plates 33 and 42 will be raised and fall away from the formed block so that it may be removed.

After the blocks have been dried and cured in the kiln, a above described, they may be cooled and then weathered for a few days when they are ready for use. This coloring is accomplished by means of solutions of various metallic salts, and is preferably carried out by means of apparatus such as shown in Figs. 9 and. 10, although it should be understood that these coloringsolutions may be otherwise applied to the outer surfaces of the blocks, as by brushing, spraying or dipping, if desired.

The apparatus shown in Figs. 9 and 10 comprises a plurality of tanks 43, each of which may contain a metallic salt solution of a different color. As an illustration of some of the coloring solutions which may be used, a red color may be obtained by using substantially the following formula:

Parts Bichromate of potash 1 Iron sulphate 5 Iron oxide 4 A tan color may be obtained by using the following formula:

Iron sulphate parts 3 Bichromate of potash tablespoons 2 Tecmangam manganese sulphate parts.. 2 Copper sulpate do..- 1

A green color may be obtained by using the following:

Parts Copper sulphate 5 Bichromate of potash l Tecmangam manganese sulphate 4 About five and one-half pounds of any of the above mixtures are added to about five gallons of water, making a solution of sufiicient strength to produce the desired colors.

For the purpose of applying the color solution to the outer surface of the blocks, a wood roll 44, having a metal shaft 45, may be journalled in bearings 45 in each of the tanks 43, said wood rolls having a covering of soft sponge rubber or the like, as indicated at 41.

After the blocks have been dried and cured, as above described, they maybe rolled back and forth over one or more of the rolls 41, in the manner indicated in Fig. 10, the outer surface I! of the block being in contact with the rubber roll so as to apply a liberal coating of the color solution thereto.

The blocks being quite porous at this stage will absorb this color solution to a depth of about one inch, so that the cement is impregnated and colored to this depth, providing a, surface which will not lose its color by exposure to the elements.

After the color treatment the blocks are reversed, with their'outer surfaces I! up and are placed upon the roll conveyor 48 and conveyed to any suitable point where they may be discharged and stacked for weather curing. The false mortar joints 2! may be painted any desired color, to resemble mortar, by means of a small brush.

From the above it will be obvious that a method and means are provided for economically pro ducing cement building blocks, which when laid up in a wall will give the appearance of a masonry wall built of natural stone blocks of various sizes, shapes and colors, whereby beautiful effects may be obtained with cement blocks, thus providing a very inexpensive building material, the cement blocks themselves forming the outside surface of the wall so as not to require stucco, veneer or the like.

The inner surface of each block may, if desired, be provided with any usual glaze or enamel, so as to form a finished inside wall for basements, garages and similar structures, while for the interior of a dwelling or similar structure, furring may be applied to the inner surface of the wall thus built, for the application of plaster board, metal lath or the like for producing the desired finish upon the inside walls.

According to the provisions of the patent statutes, we have explained the principle of our invention and described an improvement thereof, but we desire to have it understood that within the scope of the appended claims, the invention may be practiced otherwise than as specifically illustrated and described.

We claim:

1. The method of making cement building blocks which consists in mixing hydraulic cement, sand and aggregate with just sufficient water to dampen the mixture, and forming the mixture under pressure into a building block having one surface simulating stone simultaneously heating said surface to a temperature of 500 to 700 F'., curing the block for about twelve to fifteen hours at a temperature of about 150 F. and impregnating said surface with a coloring solution of metallic salts.

2. The method of making cement building blocks which consists in mixing hydraulic cement, sand and aggregate with just suflicient water to dampen the mixture, and forming the mixture into a building block having an outer surface simulating stone, by subjecting the mixture to pressure and simultaneously subjecting said outer surface only to high temperature, then subjecting the entire block to a temperature of about 150 F. for a period of 12 to 15 hours, then impregnating said outer surface to a depth of about one inch with a coloring solution of metallic salts, and then weather curing the block.

3. The method of making cement building blocks which consists in mixing hydraulic cement, sand and aggregate with just sufiicient water to dampen the mixture, and forming the mixture into a building block having an outer surface simulating stone, by subjecting the mixture to pressure and simultaneously subjecting said outer surface only to a temperature of at least 500 F. for a period of 12 to 15 hours, then impregnating said outer surface to a depth of about one inch with a coloring solution of metallic salts, and then weather curing the block.

4. The method of making cement building blocks which consists in mixing hydraulic cement, sand and aggregate with just suflicient water to dampen the mixture, and forming the mixture into a building block having an outer surface simulating stone, by subjecting the mixture to pressure and simultaneously subjecting said outer surface only to a temperature of 500 F. to 750 F. for a period of 12 to 15 hours, then impregnating said outer surface to a depth of about one inch with a coloring solution of metallic salts, and then weather curing the block.

STEPHEN H. SMITH. JOHN LEWIS KRONSIS.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file of this patent:'

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date,

830,157 Lowe Sept. 4, 1906 841,136 Fisher Jan. 15, 1907 859,062 Hendley July 2, 1907 1,019,918 Reynolds et a1. Mar. 12, 1912 1,029,561 Pauly June 11, 1912 1,140,785 Williams, Jr May 25, 1915 1,400,913 Schelhammer Dec. 20, 1921 1,440,618 Nelson Jan, 2, 1923 1,652,162 Brookby Dec. 13, 19 7 1,657,398 Hottell et al Jan. 24, 1928 1,666,936 Kern Apr. 24, 1928 1,750,511 Dunn Mar. 11, 1930 1,922,473 De La Roche Aug. 15, 1933 2,034,164 Van Kamerik Mar. 1'7, 1936 2,143,448 ORourke Jan. 10, 1939 2,205,650 Hagemeyer June 25, 1940 2,433,265 Denning Dec. 23, 1947 OTHER REFERENCES Whipple, Concrete Stone Manufacture, 1918,

pp. 43-46, 150, 151 and 243. (Copy in Scientific Library.) 

1. THE METHOD OF MAKING CEMENT BUILDING BLOCKS WHICH CONSISTS IN MIXING HYDRAULIC CEMENT, SAID AND AGGREGATE WITH JUST SUFFICIENT WATER TO DAMPEN THE MIXTURE, AND FORMING THE MIXTURE UNDER PRESSURE INTO A BUILDING BLOCK HAVING ONE SURFACE SIMULATING STONE SIMULTANEOUSLY HEATING SAID SURFACE TO A TEMPERATURE OF 500* TO 700* F. CURING THE BLOCK FOR ABOUT TWELVE TO FIFTEEN HOURS AT A TEMPERATURE OF ABOUT 150* F. AND IMPREGNATING SAID SURFACE WITH A CORING SOLUTION OF METALLIC SALTS. 